Chiropractic Treatment for ADHD

We often hear about ADHD, which is attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. It is a common psychological disorder, usually recognized in childhood. We all may know a few kids who we think are super active (above the average range of active) and who just don’t listen! They may not all have ADHD, but don’t you wish that if they do, they could get some sort of help for it?

Well, this article aims to show how chiropractic management of a patient with symptoms of ADHD experienced improvements. We will feature a case study done on a 5-year-old boy who was referred to a mental health professional and was diagnosed with ADHD. The family of the boy pursued biomedical treatments which were ineffective, so they sought alternative treatments.

At the time of the chiropractic assessment, the boy had successfully reached all his developmental milestones, had a normal posture, with no spinal curvatures and he was on no medications for the disorder. However, “a preliminary diagnosis included cervical and thoracolumbar facet joint irritation with concurrent muscle hypertonicity. A treatment plan of spinal manipulative therapy, soft tissue therapy, and myofascial release therapy was initiated.”

The treatment plan included 3 treatments a week for 6 to 8 weeks with a reevaluation scheduled at weeks 4 and 8. These were what the chiropractors found in relation to the patient:

“Paraspinal muscle hypertonicity was common in the upper cervical spine, although rarely in the suboccipital region, and at the thoracolumbar junction.”

“In general, little muscle hypertonicity was noted in the lumbar spine region or the gluteal/pelvic regions.”

In the duration of a year after the treatment, there were no adverse effects reported and there was significant improvement noted in the ADHD-associated symptoms in the boy, as stated by his parents. They saw notable improvements in his ability to follow instructions, his school and home improvements and his tendency to act out.